The PPI’s history

The Pension Provision Group chaired by Tom Ross OBE was asked in 1997 by the then Secretary of State with responsibility for pensions to assess the likely trends in pensions provision. The group found that the issues at stake in retirement provision are often poorly understood outside the experts most closely involved.

The information that is needed for thorough analysis before any policy decisions can be made is often scattered and inconsistent. It is difficult to test the long-term sustainability of policy decisions thoroughly. Political decision making is inevitably influenced by short-term considerations, but pension policy decisions can have very long-term consequences.

The PPI was set up so that a permanent expert organisation would undertake rigorous research from an independent, long-term perspective. This is helping all those interested to achieve a better, wider understanding of retirement provision issues.